Do the recent struggles foretell the end for Wilson in Denver?
Q>> I am starting a new club: G.R.O.W. — Get Rid Of Wilson! The offense needs to revolve around the quarterback and Russell Wilson is not looking very good. Yes, he had two drives for touchdowns at the end of the game, but if he had played like that the whole game then all would be OK. He seems to not see open receivers, looks afraid to make any mistakes, and is just going through the motions. If he is let go this off season, which I do hope, will George Paton be held accountable for this huge mistake, giving up a lot for basically nothing? Again, I have never been a fan of Wilson, but I was rooting for him when we traded for him, but now it is scary to think about him behind center going into the future.
— Del, Lamar
PARKER >> Certainly Wilson hasn’t played as well in recent weeks as he did during the Broncos’ fivegame winning streak. He’s not the only one, but he’s the most visible one. One thing I will say in your list of concerns: He’s not going through the motions. He’s about as competitive as you’ll find.
At the same time, the numbers recently aren’t great.
During the winning streak, Wilson turned the ball over only one time, completed 71.6% of his passes, threw eight touchdowns and no picks, and ran for 116 yards (3.7 per carry) while playing to a quarterback rating of 109.5.
As the Broncos have lost three of their past four, he’s turned the ball over five times, completed 61.7% of his passes, thrown six touchdowns and four interceptions, run for 75 yards (2.8 per carry) and two touchdowns, and played to an 84.5 quarterback rating.
I don’t know what Wilson’s future is in Denver at this point — we’ve been through some of the options and factors and certainly will be covering more in the coming days and weeks — but it hasn’t been the finishing kick they were hoping for offensively, that’s for sure.
Q:>> I have a question about our rookies. If we look at the 2023 class, many of them had promise (including the undrafted ones), but for the most part and for various reasons we barely saw them. Is this how Sean Payton usually works with rookies — waiting a year before really putting them in and trusting them? With not much draft capital and a tight cap space, might they be the major reinforcements of 2024 and be part of the vision Payton says he has for next year? Riley Moss and Drew Sanders play two positions of need for next year for example.
P.S.: If I can add, do you know how KJ Hamler is doing? — Yoann, Beine-nauroy, France
PARKER >> The short answer is yes. Payton in New Orleans typically had older, more experienced teams. Obviously there are exceptions when it comes to rookie production, but if you look at the roster composition, his teams have usually skewed older. It’s part of the reason he and the Broncos loaded up in free agency after he got hired.
Payton believes in his staff’s ability to develop players, and he talks often about the “vision” for a guy not just in Year 1 but beyond. For example, when they drafted Drew Sanders, Payton said he thinks Sanders prototypes to the “Mike” inside linebacker position, basically the quarterback of the defense. This year, he’s got on the field mostly on the edge and as a pass-rusher, and Payton last week acknowledged that now he could see Sanders inside or outside long-term.
It’s interesting because Payton speaks highly of several of Denver’s rookies — Sanders, corner Riley Moss, receiver Marvin Mims Jr., running back Jaleel Mclaughlin, even some others like center Alex Forsyth — but the playing time doesn’t really match.
In some cases, the reasoning is obvious. In others, less so. So it’ll be interesting to watch how that group develops into next season and also if any of the next crop of rookies can make an immediate impact.
As for Hamler, I haven’t talked to him, but he’s currently on Indianapolis’ practice squad as that team pushes for a playoff spot. Good on him for getting back from the heart issue that cropped up in training camp and landing back with an NFL team.
Q>> Winning in the NFL isn’t that difficult, half the teams win every weekend.
PARKER >> My kind of math, Dave. Except wait, with an odd number of games on the season, that means you either go 9-8 or 8-9. Sounds kind of familiar, now that you mention it.